Video: new bear cubs spotted in French Pyrénées

At least two new litters of bear cubs have been recorded in the French Pyrénées this summer.

A female bear and her three cubs were spotted in Pic du Gar (Haute-Garonne), with other sightings in Melles and Fos (both also Haute-Garonne), which could be either two separate litters or the same group recorded twice.

It brings the total number of new cubs in the mountain range this year to at least 16, and a total population of around 130 bears spread across both the French and Spanish sides of the range.

The information comes from the latest report on bear activity in the mountain range by the French Office for Biodiversity (Office français de la biodiversité, OFB). 

Clips of the bears can be seen in the video below.

A programme to bolster the bear population on the French side of the mountain range, which began 30 years ago, has faced criticism from some locals. 

They claim that the programme has made it dangerous for local walkers, that bears attack livestock, and the animals used to bolster the population – Slovenian bears – are not natural to the area.

Walkers are extremely unlikely to come across a bear if walking in the Pyrénées, but if you do come across one, tips for what to do are available in the article linked above.

Is the bear population at risk?

Despite the increase in numbers, concerns over the longevity of the bear population remain. 

“The population continues to reproduce, even if there is inbreeding. That confirms that the Pyrénées are a suitable habitat for bears,” said Alain Reynes, director of the charity Pays de l'Ours-Adet to Le Monde. 

“Numbers alone are a poor indicator… You have to take inbreeding and the genetically effective population into account, meaning the part of the population that actually contributes to the genetic future of the population,” he added.

In the Pyrénées, there are only around 10 bears thought to be ‘genetically effective’, providing diversity to the groups’ gene pool. 

This can have a pronounced effect on the population. 

Female bears in the mountain range have an average of 1.8 cubs per litter, compared to 2.2 - 2.7 elsewhere, with the reduction thought to be a result of inbreeding. 

Cubs in the French mountains also have a lower survival rate. 

There is hope, however, that the movement of two male bears (born in 2020 and 2024) this year will help improve the odds for future litters.

These bears have travelled 100km, from a population of bears in the central area of the range to the west.

If they breed with females in the western group, it is hoped it will bring renewed genetic diversity and increase long-term the bear population’s chances of survival.